Starry Sky Promise
by AutumnsFlowers
Summary: A mission to the Real World, a chance to move on from the past, a mysterious town in the Meditarranean, pizza, fireworks and a special night, the 10th of August, when stars fall down and wishes come true.
1. Chapter 1

**Story: **Starry Sky Promise

**Author:** AutumnsFlowers

**Summary:** A mission to the Real World, a chance to move on from the past, a mysterious town in the Meditarranean, pizza, fireworks and a special night, the 10th of August, when stars fall down and wishes come true.

**Disclaimer:** guess what... I don´t own Bleach.

**A/N:** First chapter! Big big thank you to my beta *sends her chocolate cookies*. The story is set after the Winter War and beofre the Fullbringer arc. Yes, Hinamori has a ponytail. I know in the recent chapters she appeared to have short hair and this will be explained in my fic. Also, this is not going to be a HitsuHina fluffy fanfic with romance (though I love those kind of HitsuHina fics *O*). It will about them restoring the relationship they had before the Aizen mess (with some fluffy scenes only because they are too cute :3) but nothing that goes against the canon. It´s a story about overcoming. And not only for these two, but also the other characters will have their deep moment.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Leave me a review telling me what you liked and what you didn´t and what you think will happen in the next chapters.

Ah for those who don´t know, the 10th of August is celebrated in Italy. There is this belief that the majority of falling stars fall on that night. And you all know what we do when see a falling star ;D

**Chapter 1**

"Why do we have to have meetings on such hot days?" Hinamori Momo yawned while brushing her hair. She was getting ready for an emergency meeting early in the morning. Yawning she placed her ribbon and finished making her ponytail. She then took her lieutenant badge and carefully placed it on her left arm. After the hole Aizen mess, that badge now held a new meaning for her. It wasn´t the symbol of her being _Aizen´s lieutenant_, it was the symbol of her being _the 5th Division lieutenant_. It was something to wear with honour, something that reminded her every single day of the promise she had made when she woke up from her coma after the Winter War.

She was told yesterday in the evening to meet up with the other lieutenants for an important meeting regarding the last events that where taking place in the World of the Living. The Captains had had a similar meeting yesterday evening too and the decision they had made would be referred to the lieutenants during the meeting.

Hinamori walked out from her apartment and headed to the First Divisions barracks. It was the beginning of August and even though it was early morning it was already very hot.

She arrived at the meeting place and since no sound was coming from the building no one had arrived before her. She was normally the first to arrive and she didn´t mind it. She would have some time to just chill a bit and fantasize. That´s why she was surprised when she found out that someone actually had arrived before her.

A raven haired girl turned around at the sound of footsteps and Hinamori found herself in the presence of the recently nominated lieutenant of the 13th Division, Kuchiki Rukia.

"Hinamori-san! Ano… Good morning!" Rukia bowed her head with respect.

Hinamori smiled: "Good morning Kuchiki-san."

Rukia grinned, but suddenly she frowned, "Hinamori-san, where is everyone? The meeting should be starting right now!"

_Right! This is her first real lieutenant meeting! She still doesn´t know how things work here! _Hinamori giggled.

"Well, you see Kuchiki-san, the lieutenant meetings are very… _unpredictable_… they are much more different than the Captain´s ones for example." She remembered being told by Hitsugaya and Aizen about how the Captains meetings where usually very boring, with everyone trying to look as serious as they could, reiatsu always on the limit of control, and Captain Kyoraku trying to break the ice with a joke that usually ended up with a glare from the other Captains, especially Sui Feng and Byakuya.

"Our meetings usually start two hours after the communicated hour, and usually not all the lieutenants are there!"

Rukia´s frown deepened, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Renji better not make me wait much longer, I want to know what this is all about!"

Hinamori nodded, she was curious too. Her captain couldn´t tell her much and just said she would know everything today. She only got to know that it was something rather serious. She secretly hoped it would involve a mission for the lieutenants. After her recovery, she had started to train hard and was now looking for a chance to prove herself. To prove herself of being worthy of her title. She looked at Rukia and said:

"Well then, we can just sit down and wait for now." The girls laughed, sat near each other, and started chatting relaxed. They'd known each other since Academy days but they never really spoke with one another before Rukia became a lieutenant. They now had become friends and both enjoyed each other´s company, they would also spend their afternoons together drawing, a passion they both shared.

* * *

They were just in the middle of a conversation about whether Chappi the Bunny should be the new mascot of the shinigami Women Association when they heard a noise from outside. The strange noise was getting louder and louder and suddenly a huge BROUUUM welcomed the entrance of 6th Division lieutenant Abarai Renji and 7th Division lieutenant Iba Tetsuzaemon. The two lieutenants looked like they had run through half of the Seireitei. Ignoring the two girls that where looking at them with shocked expressions, they looked around themselves curiously.  
"Where is she?" Renji was sweating, his eyes growing bigger from fear, "where is the little devil?" You couldn´t really say that Iba was as scared as Renji because he wore his glasses, but his voice was shaking.

"Who are you looking for?" Asked a sweet voice coming from above them. The two men screamed when a little pink haired girl jumped and landed in front of them. The two lieutenants, suddenly aware of the presence of Rukia and Hinamori, hid behind the two girls, which caused Rukia to send a huge glare at Renji. Hinamori faced the little girl:

"Hello Kusajishi-san. What were you three doing?". Yachiru smiled innocently: "We were just playing a game I saw yesterday from Ken-chan! I don´t know why, but they suddenly started running right in the middle of the game! It´s not fair to interrupt, we have to finish the game!"

Hinamori could just imagine what kind of game Yachiru could put up.

Eventually, the rest of the lieutenants arrived without major other incidents. All the lieutenants (minus one 10th Division lieutenant, as usual, late) and the meeting finally started.

Chojiro Sasakibe stood up, and began speaking:

"As you know there has recently been unusually strong Hollow activity in the real world. All of them concentrating on a particular town. As you all know every century the juureichi place changes. The current place of high reiatsu concentration is Karakura Town" at the sound of that name Rukia shivered impercentively and only Renji noticed it, "but it´s not here that the Hollows are concentrating. We still don´t know if this is a coincidence but the town where this is all taking place is the previous juureichi, in a completely other part of the world, Italy."

"The situation is getting worse. Every week stronger and stronger Hollows are appearing and we fear there might be someone controlling them all". Everyone's mind ran to the past battle against the Arrancars. Tier Harribel, now Queen of Hueco Mundo had been ruling in the past months, but had made no sign of particular rebellion towards the shinigami.

"Normal ranked shinigami are not able to fight against them. The Captains have decided to send a group of lieutenants and one Captain to investigate, and protect the town´s citizens."

Hinamori felt a bit disappointed. If it was a mission to the Real World then she was most likely not going to take part in it. Since she first became a shinigami, she hardly ever went on missions in the Real World and her knowledge of it was mostly attributed to things she had heard from others. No, she wasn´t going to take part to the mission. Though she had badly hoped she could.

Chojiro Sasakibe cleared his throat and began:"The shinigami that will take part are the following: 6th Division lieutenant Abarai Renji and 13th Division lieutenant Kuchiki Rukia, you are the two lieutenants with the most experience in the Real World" at this statement Rukia´s mind immediately ran to Ichigo, and she let out a faint sigh "you two will be helped by 3rd Division lieutenant Kira Izuru, 8th Division lieutenant Hisagi Shuuhei and 5th Division lieutenant Hinamori Momo!"

Hinamori gasped in surprise. Sasakibe looked at her and explained: "Your Captain expressively recommended you to the Captain Commander for this mission"

Hinamori smiled thinking about her Captain. He knew how hard she had been training in the past months and noticed her will to take part in something big, to take a chance and prove finally what she's got.

"Now I will report to the Captain Commander that you have received your orders, and he will ask a Captain willing to accompany you to…"

"MY CAPTAIN WILL GO!" A loud voice came from outside and a moment later a blonde tall woman made her entrance in the room. "… and I will go too." Matsumoto sent a long look to Sasakibe who was ready to answer back, but changed his mind soon. No one is able to contradict Matsumoto when she makes her mind up on something.

Matsumoto continued cheerily: "My Captain has kindly agreed to take part on the mission!"

Somehow everyone doubted that Captain Hitsugaya had agreed to the mission, but none said anything.

Sasakibe sighed: "Very well, I will report to the Captain Commander that Captain Hitsugaya has decided to lead the mission and that lieutenant Matsumoto has been added to the group too. You will be heading to the real world tomorrow morning at dawn at the Senkaimon. The meeting is over."

With this the lieutenants headed towards their barracks, discussing what had been said during the meeting and making predictions about what is really happening in the Real World.

* * *

Matsumoto walked peacefully to the 10th Division barracks enjoying the morning breeze. She lifted her head towards the sky. Today the sky was blue with no clouds, a deep blue that makes you wonder how deep the sky actually is. A shade of melancholy overwhelmed her and she quickly shook her head not allowing such thoughts to take over.

Arriving in front of the 10th division barracks, she wasn´t surprised to find a certain short white haired boy with a frowned expression waiting for her.

"Matsumoto, I was just told that the Captain Commander has accepted my request of leading tomorrow´s mission" his brows deepened "I don´t remember making such a request…"

Matsumoto smiled "Good morning to you too taichou! Isn´t this a lovely morning, look how calm the sky is!"

"Matsumoto…"

Matsumoto suddenly turned serious, "Yes taichou, I told them that you requested it. I´m sorry I didn't ask you before But… "she paused, unsure on how to continue. How was she going to tell him that it hurt her to see how the young boy was killing himself with practice and work on the Division. He would wake up every morning early to do his duty as a Captain and would spend every spare moment training with his Zanpakuto, never content with the results he achieved. He was just a boy, yet he had suffered and still suffers so much. "I thought you might need a distraction. You´ve been working so much and a mission to the real world would help you concentrate on something else."

The boy only looked at her with an annoyed expression. _Boy is he stubborn_. "Besides.. Hinamori is coming too".

She pressed on the wrong button "WHAT?" but it was too late to back off. "Yes, she is. You both need to get away from here for a while, to clear up your minds" her voice softened a bit "you haven´t talked to each other that much lately have you? I hate to see Hinamori-san upset taichou. And you should talk to her about that. You should take this chance to spend some time with her".

She had never spoken to her Captain like this before but he seemed to understand what she had meant to say. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"All right Matsumoto… I´ll see you tomorrow then at the Senkaimon. Don´t be late".

"I never am taichou, it´s the rest of the world who´s early!"

"And Matsumoto…". He turned his back and entered the building.

"Yes?"

"Thank you".

Matsumoto smiled "You´re welcome".

She sent again a quick look to the blue sky before entering the building along with her captain.

* * *

Meanwhile Hinamori had just entered her captain´s apartment. She found him sitting in the garden. She greeted him and sat near him.

"Taichou… thank you for proposing me for tomorrow´s mission".

Shinji looked at her: "Ya needn´t to thank me. You wanted to go right?"

"Yes." She said with a bright smile.

They sat there for a while looking at the garden.

"Ne, taichou… what is the real world like?"

"Huh?" Shinji turned his head so he could face her.

"Well, I mean. I haven´t been there in a very long time and I don´t remember it very well. I actually haven´t seen much of it."

"How is it like" Shinji took his time to choose an answer "I don´t think there is a word that can describe _how _exactly the Real World is but yet you could use every word to describe it."

Hinamori wasn´t quite sure she had understood what he meant and Shinji noticed it.

"Well, you can say that it is very different from this place. It is much more… lively. Hell, there is life everywhere. The people, the animals, the plants, the air even. Everything is fuller of life than here."

Hinamori sat in silence thinking about his words.

"Hey, don´t look like that." He shook her arm and smirked. "Ya don´t have to trust my every word. You will find out tomorrow. I just want to tell you this, whether you like it there or not, you will never forget it."

And with that he stood up, stretched his arms lazily and headed to his office.

Hinamori continued sitting there. The Real World… Rukia had told her amazing things about that place. She wanted to experience them too. But more than that, she wanted her chance to fight. This time she was not going to lose. This time, she will definitely win.

And with that thought she headed to the office too ready to take care of her daily duties. The next day she would have to wake up early. _Again, _she thought with a sigh of false sadness. Then, with a bright smile, she entered her office.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The light of dawn illuminated the majestic Senkaimon and the figures in front of it. The shinigami were gathered there ready to go. Almost.

Matsumoto pulled a strand of hair back off her face and mumbled with annoyance: "Geez… Renji has still not arrived. He should know better than to arrive late today!"

Hitsugaya glared at her without saying a word.

Finally Renji arrived, his face dark. Something was troubling him. He apologized to Hitsugaya for being late and took his position near Kira. The blond man asked him the reason why he came so late and why he seemed worried.

"I had a talk with Kuchiki-taichou" he answered. He did not say what they had been talking about and Kira didn't insist.

At a sign of Hitsugaya the gate opened and the shinigami entered the World of the Living.

* * *

Hinamori had imagined her arrival at the Living World would be greeted with colours, sounds and streets full of people wearing the oddest outfits. Instead the gate opened into a dark deposit.

Noticing her delusion Hitsugaya said: "We need to wear our reigai before we get outside".

_Oh right, of course! _Hinamori thought. She put on her reigai. It gave her a ticklish sensation, but it wasn´t as bad as she had imagined.

After everyone had put on their reigai, Kira and Hisagi opened the big door of the deposit and Hinamori finally saw the World of the Living.

* * *

The first thing she saw was a narrow cobbled street that sloped downwards. They were most probably on some kind of hill. The houses on each side of the street were so close to one another that some were even attached to the others. The houses were pretty old but the street was full of colour. Each facade was a different shade and adorned with colourful window-frames, themselves decorated with bright flowers. At the front of most of these houses were little tourist shops selling every kind of item. A few people, tourists most likely, walked down the street and stopped at the shops to look at the displays. A couple of old men were sitting in a bar playing cards and a couple was walking hand in hand eating ice cream. The entire surrounding gave Hinamori the impression of a peaceful afternoon and she immediately liked this place.

She looked down the street. The air was salty and a sweet breeze messed up her hair. The street continued down the hill and was suddenly cut off by something blue. She narrowed her eyes to see better, trying to understand what that blue thing was. Gasping she realized it was the sea.

She had never seen it before, only heard stories about it. She wanted to get there and see more of it and was already moving when Hitsugaya spoke and brought her back to reality:

"Ukitake provided us a house for the time we stay here. We have to find it."

Everyone nodded but suddenly Matsumoto grabbed Hinamori and Rukia by the arm.

"Taichou… you go ahead! We're going shopping!"

"Eeeh… Matsumoto what…" But before he could finish his sentence the blonde lieutenant was already far away dragging the two girls who barely understood what was going on.

Hitsugaya hissed.

Renji stretched his arms out :"What do we do now?"

"We look for our house of course!"

"All right Captain Hitsugaya, but where is it?".

Kira raised his head and said:

"Captain Ukitake said that the house´s name was something like "Casa del marinaio" but I don´t know where it is."

Hitsugaya mumbled: "It´s not usual of them not giving us any indication on the location of our headquarter, how are we gonna get there?"

Hisagi immediately raised his hand: "Don´t worry Captain Hitsugaya, during my early shinigami days I was assigned to Italy quite often and I learned the language here. We´ll get there in no time!"

With a huge smile Hisagi approached the two men at the bar and began asking for indications in Italian. The two old men listened to Hisagi and then sent questioning looks at each other. Hisagi repeated himself more slowly and one of the men lighted up and broke up in a laugh. He pat Hisagi on the shoulder and began indicating Hisagi to go right. There he would find what he was looking for. He thanked the old men and the group began looking for their house.

Meanwhile Matsumoto had dragged the poor girls through the streets only to stop on the main street. This one had more shops, all selling Italian clothes and shoes. Hinamori slowly asked: "Ano Rangiku-san.. shouldn´t we go back? Hitsugaya seemed to be pretty angry at you."

Matsumoto only waved her hand as if it was something insignificant.

"He won´t be mad at me for long. Now girls, we worked hard in these past months, we need a Girl Afternoon!"

Both Rukia and Hinamori frowned a little.

"Listen girls, the boys will look for our apartment or whatever the place is where we are going to sleep. The reports say that the Hollows here are attacking only at night, so now we can just forget a bit about our work and enjoy a bit of freedom, right?"

Rukia and Hinamori looked at each other insecurely but decided that Matsumoto was right after all, they indeed needed some time to relax. Matsumoto grinned knowing she had won (not that she ever doubted that): "Let the fun begin!"

The afternoon passed very quickly. They went from shop to shop and tried on all kinds of outfits. Every Soul Reaper who goes to the Real World receives some money for emergency needs, so they didn´t have to worry about that.

They had to stop at a plushes shop because Rukia got infatuated for a bunny and just had to buy it. Rangiku made a scene over some high-heeled sandals and Hinamori… just looked around without buying anything. That´s what Matsumoto was there for. For every cloth she bought for herself she would buy one for Hinamori and Rukia. The two girls didn´t argue. Matsumoto was stubborn but she had good taste and wouldn´t buy something that didn´t suit the two.

After wandering for a while they arrived to the end of the street and Hinamori found herself in the presence of the most beautiful scenario she had ever seen in her life. The immense sea spread in front of her. The seagulls were flying above her head and the salty air inebriated her. Rukia stood near her, amazed by the view.

Matsumoto closed her eyes with a smile. She let the sound of the waves crashing on the cliffs rock herself not remembering the last time she had felt so peaceful.

* * *

"I think we're lost" said Kira.

Hisagi looked around: "But I´m sure he pointed this way."

Hitsugaya was losing his temper: "What _exactly_ did you asked that man?"

"I asked him if he knew where "Casa del marinaio" is. He started laughing and answered "Of course I know" and indicated this place."

"Well, I don´t see any houses here" snorted Renji "just boats".

They had walked for a while, with Hisagi asking for directions now and then and arrived at what seemed… the harbor.

Hitsugaya frowned: "Hisagi, what does "Casa del marinaio" mean?"

"Uh? Well, it means something like "House of the sailor" and…" he stopped when realizing his mistake.

"House of the sailor huh?" said Renji with a hysterical laugh.

"Calm yourself. We must continue looking for the house. And this time Hisagi when asking be more _precise_. Understood?"

The lieutenants nodded at the white haired Captain´s command and continued their search.

It was late afternoon when they finally found the house. The sunset coloured everything in purple and orange and the air was filled with the cries of cicadas.

The street where it stood was bright and clean; the house was made of plaster and brick, its whitewashed facade reflecting the sun. The window-frames were blue, decorated with flowers. The name "Casa del marinaio" written in a placard by the gate.

Kira sighed: "Finally."

"Hey look who´s there." Kira looked at the place Renji was indicating and saw a n ice-cream parlour. Three familiar girls were sitting there eating ice-cream and laughing cheerfully. Hinamori noticed their looks and waved her hand towards them.

"It took you a long time to get here, what were you doing all this time?" Matsumoto asked while trying to steal some of Hinamori´s ice cream which made her squeal and jump back.

Hitsugaya answered coldly: "We got lost while looking for the house. We received no indications from Soul society on where the house was. Not even a map!"

"Map?" Rukia extracted something from her pocket "you mean this map? We used this to get here but" she paused when she noticed the way the boys where looking at her "it seems like i forgot to mention that they gave it to me."

Matsumoto was sensing the danger and quickly said: "Okay never mind. In the end we are all here. What shall we do now?"

"Well, we haven´t eaten yet. How about we go out for dinner?" said Hisagi.

Hitsugaya frowned. "Fine. But first we better enter that house and get things ready. Tonight we start patrolling the city."

* * *

Giacomo thought himself to be a happy man. He possessed what was considered the best pizzeria on the seaside of the town. And he was popular; among tourists and people of the city. He was especially proud of how the tables of his pizzeria were placed. Many of his costumers preferred eating without being watched by other costumers, that´s why he had placed plants near the tables outside on the terrace. Ah, the terrace. Not many restaurants could claim the view he had from his terrace. A view of the sea and the small lights that lit the walking path of the seaside.

He was proud of what he had. He liked his job and always boasted to his family how he was a man of the world. He had met and seen so many people from all the places in this world coming to his restaurants. He claimed he has seen anything you could see.

_But I was wrong_ he thought when he saw standing in the entrance of the restaurant the weirdest group of tourists he had seen so far. There was a tall man whose skin was covered with tattoos, his red hair tied on the back of his head jumped in every direction and he had a grin that resembled the one of an animal. There was another one who looked like he had just come out of jail and even had a number tattooed on his face. The man near him was the image of depression. His mouth was curved down and his eyes flashed frightened in all directions except for where Giacomo was as if he was embarrassed of something. But the strangest thing of all was that they seemed to be lead by a short boy with "Oh buon Dio aiutami*" _white hair_. The short boy had the face of an adult, a very annoyed one, and his emerald eyes looked straight at Giacomo´s. It felt like having two daggers stabbed into your head and Giacomo quickly lowered his gaze at the frowned expression of the boy somehow sensing some kind of danger. His animal instincts he supposed, were telling him that these people weren´t normal tourists.

Keeping his eyes low he welcomed them in English: "Welcome! A table for four?"

The man with the number on his face answered in perfect Italian: "We´d like a table for seven people, please."

At the confused expression of Giacomo he added:" The ladies haven´t arrived yet."

While he guided them in to the furthest table on his terrace (so the other costumers wouldn´t get scared off of them like he was) Giacomo could only imagine seeing how these men were what the girls would look like. Shivering he breathed deep and prepared himself for another shock.

The shock came again, but in a different way. Because he could swear on his life that he had never _ever _seen a more beautiful woman before. It was like a painting came to life and it stood right in front of him. The woman had long blond wavy hair, blue eyes with long, long eyelashes and her curves… He stood there amazing for a while before he noticed two other girls behind her. They were both short. The first one wore a shirt and shorts of various tones of white. White hairgrips on her hair matched her dark violet eyes. The other girl had her hair loose except for a hairpin on the left side and had big sweet brown eyes. She wore a white top and a lilac skirt that twirled whenever she walked.

Giacomo just stared there amazed when the blond goddess began to talk and asked him where her friends were.

"They came before us to get a table."

It couldn´t be that the goddess and her two angels were with the freaks from before right?

_But apparently they are_ he thought when he brought them the menu and heard them speaking loud and addressing each other rather curiously.

Hitsugaya sat on the head of the table. Hinamori on his left, Kira on his right. Matsumoto who sat near Hinamori was arguing with Hisagi over the wine they should take until Renji said he would take a beer. Hinamori listened to them and giggled. Hitsugaya watched her from the corner of his eyes, relieved at the thought that she was enjoying her stay in the Living World.

"What is _pizza_ anyway?" asked Kira.

"Oh I remember eating it at Orihime-chan´s house! It was delicious!".

Hitsugaya hissed at Matsumoto´s statement. He did remember that dinner and it was the farthest thing from delicious you could imagine.

Rukia was looking at the menu: "But there are so many types. Which should we choose?"

Hisagi smiled: "Just pick one you think sounds tasty, I assure you, you won´t regret it!"

A waiter came shortly after to take their orders. It took 15 minutes to take all the orders. Matsumoto kept changing her mind, Renji gave up on finding a pizza on the menu and ordered a pizza just for him with the ingredients he chose (at first the waiter was reluctant to accept his order but quickly changed idea).

When the waiter finally left he was followed by a moment of silence and Hitsugaya grabbed the moment and coughed to get everyone´s attention. Six heads turned toward him.

"We start patrolling the city tonight as soon as we finish here. Hollows seem to start appearing around midnight. By then I want everyone ready at the headquarters. We shall split in to three teams. The first team, Matsumoto and Kira will patrol the town on the seaside, the second team, Hisagi and Kuchiki the inland. The third team, Abarai and Hinamori will stay at the headquarter ready to give support to the others at any moment, I will stay at the headquarters too to keep track of yours and the Hollows movements. Questions?"

Everyone shook their heads. The pizzas arrived soon after and they started eating.

"Waah, you were right Rangiku-san, it is delicious!"Hinamori was delighted with her pizza. She took a slice and leaned toward Hitsugaya.

"Hitsugaya-kun, try mine"

Hitsugaya was caught in surprise. From the corner of his eye he saw how Matsumoto and the others lowered their voices and looked in their direction. A vein popped in his head, _This is childish _he thought, But then he looked at Hinamori. She had a sincere smile on her face, a smile that spread to her gentle eyes as she leaned towards him with her slice of pizza. She looked genuinely happy, sharing what she had with him as she always did back in Rukongai.

He opened his mouth. Hinamori fed him, his face red from embarrassment, she smiled at him, oblivious to the looks everyone was giving them.

Mtasumoto raised her glass: "To the lovebirds!" she said and everyone laughed.

Except for Hinamori and Hitsugaya, who hadn´t heard the blond woman´s last sentence. Hinamori had returned to her place, still smiling at Hitsugaya.

But suddenly she realized she had acted without thinking, with that movement she had done a thousand times back in Rukongai. She had always been that way with Hitsugaya. She was the bigger one, she needed to protect him, to help him. That was long ago and now he didn´t need her protection anymore (_has he ever needed my protection at all? _she thought sadly). Looking back at him, she suddenly felt ashamed. He was still short but his face was the one of an adult. She had now treated him like a child. Something that he obviously wasn´t anymore. He had said nothing, he had always been kind enough not to say it but she knew he didn´t like how she had treated him.

A sudden feeling of coldness overwhelmed her at the realization that he doesn´t need her anymore. Suddenly it was like all the air from her lungs had disappeared and she found herself gasping at the thought, _he doesn´t need her anymore_. She had never thought of it before, when she had found in Aizen someone to admire and someone she could be useful to. But now Aizen was gone and Hitsugaya seemed to be so far away from her. Not only him, but everyone else too. It was like they all had grown up in all those years, like they all had achieved goals, like they all knew their place in this world.

_Baka, you know where your place is too. You are the 5th Squad lieutenant! _Tobiume´s voice brought her back to reality.

"Hinamori-kun, are you okay?" It was Kira sitting in front of her with a worried expression. Hitsugaya was looking silently at her too.

She forced a laughter "Ahhh don´t worry Kira-kun, I was just thinking about something. Everything is fine now!"

The rest of the evening went peacefully, or almost. Imitating Hinamori, Renji almost choked poor Kira. Matsumoto tainted Rukia and Hinamori with wine and Rukia ordered three balls of ice cream that ended in Renji´s face when he attempted to make a joke on her figure.

The smell of the evening air a mixture of sea, pinetree and tomato sauce, combined with the cheerful music from the outside the lights of the seaside, the moon reflecting in the calm water below and the laughter of her friends made Hinamori forget her previous thoughts. She decided that this evening she would have fun, enjoy her friends´presence and forget, at least for now, all her worries and troubles.

* * *

* it means "Oh Dear God help me" in Italian.

**A/N: **Chapter 2 finally! It took me a long time to finish this, and it is by far the most difficult thing I have written in English! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and if you do, mind leaving a little review with your comments/thoughts/likes/dislikes? Thank you.

I owe a big big thank you to my beta reader and a thank you to **cassoult** from DeathBerry for helping me over the landscape description. *gives cookies to both*


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the delay on updating this chapter :) I apologize ^^ Enjoy._

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Two black figures were jumping from roof to roof. Invisible to humans the two shinigami were moving at a supernatural speed and agility. Without a sound they landed on the bell tower of a church, standing back to back. Kira and Matsumoto scanned the town around them looking for the Hollows they knew were bound to appear.

On the other side of the town Hisagi and Rukia had already found a group of three mid-low class Hollows. It took only some swings with his sword for Hisagi to kill them. A moment later they were already moving again, looking for more.

"Matsumoto, 200 metres to your left." Came a voice from Matsumoto´s ear. Adjusting the device that connected her position to her Captain she signed to Kira and the two ran to the given direction.

Hitsugaya was standing in the middle of a big dark room, his arms crossed on his chest with a concentrated frown on his face. In front of him was a big screen, one of the newest pieces of equipment of the 12th Division. The screen was a big map of the city. Little circles were moving in it. The white circles were his comrades, the red ones the Hollows. A microphone was installed in the room too. This way he could give orders to the lieutenants outside and keep track of them thanks to a device in their ears.

"Captain Hitsugaya, Hisagi and I have defeated all the Hollows on the hills" the voice of Rukia Kuchiki resounded loud and clear at the same moment two red circles disappeared. "Good" he answered "keep your guard up, this is just the beginning."

* * *

Above him on the rooftop Renji and Hinamori were waiting for orders. Renji yawned and sat down. He sent a look to Hinamori who was still standing, her back to him, her eyes never leaving what was in front of her. She seemed still, lost in her thoughts yet ready to strike. She had been like this from the moment they have arrived from dinner, got rid of their gigai and took their position. She had been standing there for an hour without saying a word.

"Oi, Hinamori". No answer.

"Hinamori" he repeated, this time louder. She seemed wake up from whatever she was thinking, whimpering a little she turned around to face him.

"Come sit Hinamori, it´s not as if you stand there all night something will happen."

She nodded and sat near him, hugging her knees. Renji lied on his elbows and asked her:

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head: "Nothing" she added slowly " I´ve just been thinking" she said narrowing her eyes "isn´t it weird…"

* * *

"Isn´t it weird…"

"You said something Kira?" Matsumoto looked at her fellow lieutenant. She had just blown up two Hollows with a simple spell and they were now waiting for more orders.

"It´s weird."

"What's weird?"

"These Hollows we are fighting. They are too easy to defeat. We have been sent here to fight Hollows of the highest level but since we've got here, we have only encountered low-levelled Hollows. We haven´t even released our shikai yet."

Hitsugaya frowned. He had been thinking the same for a while now. Whoever was behind these attacks must have noticed by now that these against him weren´t ordinary shinigami. Even if they kept their reiatsu low, it was strong enough and recognizable. They had killed every Hollow they have encountered without a drop of sweat.

Those same thoughts were spinning in Rukia´s mind. The person behind this had made them run back and forth, thinking he would make them tired before striking with the real attack. She didn´t like the thought of being played by someone else into a trap.

"RUKIA WATCH OUT!"

She managed to dodge the blast of fire just in time and escaped with only a small burn on her right shoulder. She drew her sword and prepared to face her enemy. This Hollow was different from the ones they had fought that night. His white little body resembled a grotesque skeleton and his disproportioned head hanged on his throat where the black hole was. His scarlet eyes gleamed while he opened his huge mouth and began launching fireballs toward her. She quickly dodged them.

Hisagi took his sword: "A Hollow that spits fire. This might be interesting." But he had barely finished his sentence when four more Hollows of the same category surrounded him.

* * *

"Abarai, Hinamori, quickly. Hisagi and Kuchiki need your support. Go help them. I believe the real attack has just started."

The two shinigami immediately moved in the direction of their friends´ reiatsu.

Hitsugaya followed them on the screen. _So is this the real attack? _But he could have never imagined the next thing he saw on the screen.

"This can´t be…"

* * *

Red circles were appearing all over the six shinigami, their numbers increasing so fast he soon lost count. Assuring that the place surrounding the six lieutenants couldn´t be entered by any human he ran off away from the house. Hinamori and Abarai were closer to Kuchiki and Hisagi so he ran to his lieutenant and Kira.

Hinamori and Renji were running toward their friends when a group of Hollows surrounded them. They immediately took offensive positions and drew their swords. Singularly they weren´t difficult to defeat but there were just too many of them and more kept coming.

"Shit."

"Abarai-kun, Hisagi-kun is injured." She had just received the message from Rukia.

"Hinamori, you go help them. I will cover you!" Hinamori nodded and shunpoed. Hollows tried to follow her but were stopped by a roar:

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

* * *

"Growl, Haineko!" ash surrounded Matsumoto and disintegrated ten Hollows. But it wasn´t enough, more kept appearing at the park where they had landed before more than fifteen Hollows surrounded them.

"Matsumoto-san, at this rate we´ll never make it!" A boast covered his words and a huge mass of water covered everything it encountered. The two shinigami immediately left the ground. The water quickly turned into ice freezing the Hollows inside and exploded in thousand of pieces.

"Woah… Captain sure never ceases to amaze me."

The Captain in question appeared in front of them wielding Hyourinmaru. He looked at Kira.

"Don´t get too impressed. He is testing our powers. We must not back off. Everyone, fight, but don´t use your powers at their full extent. We must not show everything we have. Do not use bankai!"

At this Renji hissed: "Great!" and stabbed another Hollow.

* * *

"First Dance, Tsuki no Mai!" a circle of ice formed on the ground around Rukia´s figure and rose to the sky freezing everything on its way.

Rukia panted, her breath coming out heavy and freezing in the cold air she herself had created.

On the other side Hisagi was having troubles too. The claws of a Hollow were intersected with his sword. He lowered his pressure and the Hollow stumbled, losing his balance. He used that moment to duck under his claws and cut him in two pieces. On that moment another Hollow attacked from behind and sent him against a wall.

He got up the next second but his head was injured and blood was streaming down his face preventing him from seeing well. He tried to protect himself the best he could with his sword but he was backing off.

Rukia saw her friend on the ground: "HISAGI!" She screamed and suddenly to blue rays of light appeared from the sky and centered the Hollows, destroying them.

_This is a high-leveled Kidou spell _thought Rukia and spun around to see Hinamori. The two shinigami then hurried at Hisagi´s side. Hinamori examined Hisagi´s injury: "I´m fine" he muttered "It´s nothing bad, we cannot stop fighting now!" Hinamori nodded: "I´ll just stop the bleeding then. Kuchiki-san, get us some cover!"

"Right." She turned around where more Hollows were appearing. "Second Dance, Hakuren!"

* * *

The battle continued all night. They managed to kill most of the Hollows, The rest disappeared at the early lights of dawn. The sky was of a soft pink colour when the seven shinigami reunited on the roof of their house. They were exhausted but safe.

Kira proceeded to heal Rukia´s burn and Renji´s cuts while Hinamori finished with Hisagi´s.

"This was only a test" the other six shinigami turned and looked at the white haired prodigy who had just finished reporting to Soul Society. "Those Hollows have been sent here precisely to fight us. They were all ordered by someone stronger than them. And there is only one creature capable of controlling so many Hollows."

_Arrancar_.

Nobody said it but the word hovered between them, bringing back memories they all wished they could forget.

"But why? What is his plan?" Kira mumbled, but no one knew the answer.

"Taichou, what should we expect now?"

"I think from now on we should all stay together. This Arrancar is not stupid. Tonight´s battle has proven him that we are high leveled shinigami. He will be more careful from now on and will try to get rid of us before making any other move."

* * *

_Short chapter, I know. I am not so good on writing fight scenes, but it was a nice experience writing this nonetheless. Next chapter will be more intereting I promise, and longer too. What will happen inn the next chapter? Just one word: beach._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Inspired by some real life events. Again, thanks to my beautiful beta-reader and to two amazing ladies that helped me with the Rukia part,** TruantPony** and **LilyLui** from DB. I had so much fun writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The hot sun warmed Rukia´s head through her sunshade as she positioned her feet in the sand and rested her hands on her knees, waiting. On the other side of the net Kira serviced the ball. Rukia moved fast and caught the ball, passing it to Matsumoto. They were playing beach volley ball, boys against girls. Hitsugaya had voluntarily decided not to play and was sitting under the beach umbrella with a magazine Matsumoto had bought in the kiosk. It was a magazine full of games called Sudoku. It was a game of numbers and Matsumoto thought it was perfect for her genius taichou. He was now sitting there, his eyes moving quickly, his pen moving just as quick as he completed Sudoku after Sudoku.

"Ehi! That´s faul! You touched the net!" Rukia screamed at Renji.

"Eeh? So what?! Who said I couldn´t touch it!"

"The rules, you idiot!"

"I' never heard of that rule!"

"Ano… Kuchiki-san, Abarai-kun please calm down."

"Tch, you´re right Hinamori, there's no use arguing with him. We're just gonna beat ´em and then they will pay!"

Renji grinned: "Right. So, let´s say who wins will get to rule over the loser for the rest of the day."

"You got a deal!"

They shook hands and returned to their places.

Hinamori sighed: "That is not what I had in mind…"

The two teams united in two separate circles to decide the game plan. Kira sent a furtive look to the girls and said: "Matsumoto is the tallest and has strong catches. She leads the other two."

Renji nodded: "If we mark her, Rukia and Hinamori won´t know what to do, and victory would be ours!"

"Girls, I think I just had an idea for how to win against them."

Rukia glared: "I don´t want to do anything embarrassing."

Matsumoto chuckled: "Don´t worry, nothing like that. But I think we should put Hinamori in attack position now. You see, Hinamori is a softie. The boys, Kira especially, will pay attention not to hurt her. And then, she will use her secret attack against them!"

"I have a secret attack?"

Matsumoto whispered something in her ear. The brown haired girl grinned.

_Why did they put Hinamori in attack position? _Kira asked himself before he serviced the ball. Rukia received it and passed it to Matsumoto who rose it for Hinamori. The girl jumped and..

SWOOSH. Was all Hisagi sensed when the ball passed near his ear at an incredible speed and landed on the sand. The three boys didn´t even have time to react. The girls cheered and clapped their hands.

"You were right Rangiku-san! It really is like throwing fireballs with Tobiume!"

Renji was in disbelief: "H-Hinamori, what was that?"

The girl smiled: "Sorry Abarai-kun, but I don´t want to lose."

For a second her smile resembled the one of a familiar pink-haired devil-kid in Soul Society and Renji knew, and he knew they were doomed.

* * *

Hitsugaya rose his eyes from the magazine he was solving and looked at the game. The girls were beating the crap out of the boys. Hah, he knew better than to get involved with those kind of games.

Hinamori was like a tigress when she jumped and smashed the ball with the precision of a professional player. He just hoped she didn´t get sun burnt. Her skin was naturally very pale and a prolonged time in the sun was not indicated. She had barely remembered to put on sun cream that morning and she had asked him to put it on her back. Somehow the touch of her skin under his hand and the smell of her hair had done weird things to his senses. Remembering that he felt blood running to his cheeks.

He sensed something moving from the corner of his eyes. He turned around and saw a little girl, she must have been five or six years old. She had brown curly hair, brown skin from the sun and was staring intently at him. Although they had looked for an empty place in the beach there where a few families there too. The girl´s parents must have been there somewhere too. Not knowing exactly what to do he simply ignored her but she kept staring. Suddenly she opened her mouth and spoke:

"Are you a boy?"

He rose an eyebrow. What kind of question was that?

The girl pointed at his head. "Why do you have white hair?". She was speaking Italian but he could understand her because of a device they had found in the house. They were simple pills that melted in the mouth. But he wouldn´t bother answering this girl anyway.

"My grandfather has white hair too. But he is old, like really old. Are you old like him? Mmh… But you don´t have wrinkles like him. You are young!

OH! Are you sick perhaps? Mamma once told me that sick people get white hair. Are you sick then? What kind of sickness do you have? Is it deadly? Is it contagious?"

Hitsugaya´s brows were twitching with exasperation. This little girl was really starting to get on his nerves. In that moment Matsumoto came to get some water. She took the bottle and looked at her captain: "Making new friends eh taichou?" before avidly drinking.

The girl looked at Matsumoto and then back at Hitsugaya: "Is she your mother?"

SPLUUUUURT. Matsumoto spit the water she was drinking. Whaaat? Did she really looked that old?! Hitsugaya was fuming. Matsumoto? His mother? God, please no!

The little girl looked at Matsumoto: "Your child has white hair. He is sick. You should take him to the hospital and…" she was interrupted by her own mother´s voice calling from the other side of the beach.

"Maria, Maria vieni subito qui!"*

The girl ran to her mother. As soon as she was out of sight Matsumoto opened her mouth to speak but was immediately smashed in the face with the Sudoku magazine. She took it off her face angrily.

"I finished this! Get me something more interesting to do!"

She looked at him astonished: "You finished it? Even the difficult ones?"

"They weren´t difficult at all."

Matsumoto searched in her bag: "Mm… I only have this magazine for women." She took it and threw it to him. He looked at it curiously: "Why would I read that?"

"It won´t hurt you to know more about women you know?" she said maliciously and started walking towards her volleyball teammates. Suddenly she stopped and said with a dramatic voice:

"Oh, he finished the entire magazine. My little boy is such a genius. His father would be so proud of him."

"Matsumoto." He growled but the woman waved to him and ran back to her friends.

He sat down and looked at the magazine. He took it in his hands. _It´s not like I have anything better to do_…

* * *

"It´s so so hot! My head is boiling…" Kira had never sweated so much before in his life. The boys had, of course, lost and now their bodies were buried under the sand. Only their heads were coming out. They couldn´t move, only speak. They would have to stay like this the entire day, that was their punishment, and now they were staring at the three girls who were having fun in the water.

"Those are not women, they are devils who came here to.." but Hisagi never finished his sentence because exactly that moment Matsumoto came out of the water. Drops of water slid down her body and reflected the sun, her long blond hair danced in the wind. She looked like a mermaid and all the men on the beach couldn´t take their eyes off of her.

"What were you saying Hisagi?" asked Kira. Renji sighed and a shadow covered him. "Captain Hitsugaya where are you going?"

"I´m going swimming, it´s too hot."

"Tell us about it." And then added with a grin when the boy was already in the water "he probably wants to be near Hinamori since she doesn´t know how to swim."

Kira rose his head suddenly interested in the conversation: "She doesn´t know how to swim?"

"You can teach her another day pretty boy."

Kira blushed and muttered: "I-I didn´t mean that…"

* * *

Hitsugaya passed a towel to Hinamori who was trembling from the cold. "Idiot! You shouldn´t have stayed in the water so long. Look! Your lips are all purple!"

She touched her lips and smiled.

"But it´s beautiful in there. " she thought about the water, so fresh on her skin. Under the sea was a whole new world. Algae, fishes. It was a painting of life, surrounded by an immutable silence. The sun reflected in the water making it clear like a mirror. She had felt like looking into something so pure and _clean. _Being in the water calmed her body and mind. "Oh I´d like to stay there forever."

"Whatever, now get under the beach umbrella before you get sun burnt." She nodded hugging the towel closer to her body. She seemed to pause for a moment, then took a bottle of water and ran to the three buried boys.

"Here, drink Hisagi-kun."

"Thank you Hinamori, you are truly an angel!"

"Didn´t you say a few minutes ago they were devils?"

"I NEVER SAID THAT!"

"Kira-kun, drink slowly. Here, let me help you."

She held the bottle with one hand and with the other she held the boy´s head lifting it carefully to help him drink.

"Thank you so much Hinamori-kun."

"It´s nothing, really."

Hitsugaya watched her as she helped the boys drink. She was always so caring and gentle with everyone, always worrying for everyone else but herself. He had noticed that long ago and that is why he had decided to always be there for her, to protect her. She was selfless, she never cared for her safety. He had to protect her, he only had the power to do that. He won´t stop becoming stronger until he could protect her from any possible danger. People like her, in their world ended crashed or manipulated by mind freaks like Aizen. He had to make sure that won´t happen again.

"Aren´t they cute?" came a teasing voice from the deckchair. Matsumoto was lying there in the sun, dark brown sunglasses on her eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"Kira-kun and Hinamori-chan. He is very gentle with her and she is so sweet with him."

"She is like that to everyone."

"Maybe."

"Tch, stop it Matsumoto, you are just mad because that little girl thought you looked old enough to be my mother."

The blonde smiled mischievously: "I was simply stating."

"Keep your statements to yourself."

* * *

It was late in the afternoon and Rukia was alone near the sea making a sand sculpture. At first she had tried to make a Chappy sculpture but soon changed into something more elaborate. Nearby, there were children making their own sand sculptures, and deciding she could do better, she would try to make a fortress instead.

Tapping the wet sand she made a little hole, which would act like a window, with her fingers. Working with her hands occupied her mind and kept her from thinking. She didn´t mind the hot sun, nor the fact that she was entirely covered with sand. The feeling of creating something was self-satisfying and made her feel relaxed.

She didn´t care if Renji said it was a kids game, in fact she had thrown her bucket right into his face when he said that. It was not her fault that he could not understand art.

Later, she went sea shell hunting with Hinamori near the cliffs. They had to pay attention to where their feet were placed but the risk of falling was worth the price. They had found tons of coloured sea shells and little stones Rukia could use as decorations.

Finally, she tapped the sand of her highest tower and looked among the sea shells of her collection for one to use as arms. One sea shell stood out from the others. It was big and coloured orange. She placed it on top of the tower and then stood up and looked at her finished work.

_Yes, orange did really stand out from the rest_…

It was Sunday and Isshin had gone out with the two girls. Rukia used that chance to get out from the closet and explore the house a bit. To keep her calm, Ichigo had turned on the TV. He was preparing himself a sandwich when he had heard her voice coming from the living room.

"Ichigo, Ichigo come!"

He hurried to see what was she up to and she pointed to the TV. A travel program was on and it showed a tourist destination with long white sandy beaches, crystalline water and palm trees lazily moving from the breeze. Rukia was in awe. She had never seen anything like that in Soul Society.

"What is this place, Ichigo?"

"It's a beach."

"Why is everyone in their underwear?"

"Those aren't underwear. Those are swimsuits. People wear them because they are easier to wear for swimming than ordinary clothes."

"… I want to go there."

Ichigo grunted, "It's not exactly here on the corner. Besides, I don't have enough money."

"Oh." Realizing her mistake she lowered her head and quietly added "I didn't know. I´m sorry, my request was silly".

Surprised by her sudden change of attitude his voice softened: "It's okay. I promise I will take you to see the sea one day."

_Fool_. She was there now. The blue wide sea in front of her. She even wore one of those weird swimsuits. But Ichigo wasn't there with her. He didn't even know she was there in the first place. He did not know she could finally see the evening sea, the sunset behind the hills, the seagulls flying and the first fishing boats coming out from the harbor. He did not know she could smell the salt in the air, the breeze slowly caressing her hair and the cicadas singing in the woods.

A bittersweet sensation engulfed her. She had wanted so badly to see the sea, to see the sea _with him_.

She lowered her head hoping no one would see the shadow of sadness that was crossing her face.

_I hope you don´t miss me as much as I miss you._

* * *

Hitsugaya listed the pages of the magazine looking for something that wasn´t "A bag for every occasion" (_why do women need so many different bags anyway?_), "32 hairstyles for the beach" (_what was the point of styling your hair if it was going to be ruined by the sand, wind and water?_) or "What does his wallet say about him?" (_seriously…_). Finally he arrived at a title "Show him your love. The best advices for summer flirt". One of these advices was: "Ask him about his hobbies/passions. Men love to talk about themselves more than everything else (_I know some women who love that too,_ quick glare at Matsumoto), "Help him when he needs help, or better be there to support him anywhere anytime. Bring him water after a tough game with his friends, it will show how much you support him" (the picture of Hinamori helping Kira drinking came to his mind and he immediately pushed it away). "Amaze him by bringing him his favourite food. He will notice how much you care for him by knowing his tastes. There is nothing better than food to win a man´s heart.

"Hitsugaya-kun, what are you reading?" He quickly threw the magazine away. Hinamori was standing in front of him. She was holding two ice creams in her hands and handed one to him.

"Look what I found in the ice parlour near the beach."

He took the ice cream whispering a thank you and gave a lick. _This, could it be…_

"Hehe, I knew you would like this flavor. It´s watermelon!" She sat near him. "I took the same too."

They sat like that peacefully, eating their ice cream. At a point they looked at each other, their mouths covered with ice cream, and laughed.

Just like old times in Rukongai.

Hinamori was exhausted from the day on the beach but she felt like being in heaven. The cold watermelon flavored sensation in her tongue, the smell of salt on her skin, the warm sand under her feet. She could sense everything so clearly. Unconsciously she leaned her head on Hitsugaya´s shoulder. He stiffened at her touch but did not move as she closed her eyes and let the sound of the waves rock her to sleep.

* * *

*Maria, Maria come here immediately."

* * *

Sooo, I hope you liked this. One note: I said I wasn´t going to make Hitsugaya and Hinamori a pair and I am not changing my word. This because I still believe they are too young. Yes, I know they are over 50 years old but their _bodies_ are the ones of 13-14 not more than 15 years old. They are young teen agers. They are in that time of youth when you first start to look at the opposite sex with a different eye and your body experiences feelings you never had felt before. This is how I imagine their story to be. They are still veryyoung, and have all the time to enjoy in their beautiful friendship until they will be old enough to experience a ture love story.

Okay, this is it. Goodnight.

Oh, and all the articles except one of the women magazine are real. You guess which one is not ^^


End file.
